Pocket and other case.



No. 854,990. PATENTED MAY 2a, 1907. W. .E. EDWARDS. POCKET AND OTHER GASB.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 9, 1906.

22 21 v m WITNESSES: 18 [q 5 INVENTOR'. E 1.5 E Willa-n15 Bavaria Jud-7? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. EDWARDS, OF IRVINGTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- I-IALF TO AUGUST O. SOHUSTER, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 28, 1907.

Application filed April 9,1906.v Serial No. 310,736.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM E. EDWARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Irvington, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pocket and other Cases; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyin drawings, and to letters of reference marke thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My present invention has reference to improvements in pocket or other suitable cases for the placing therein of cigarettes, but which are also a plicable to other uses, such as the carrying tlierein of medicine vials, surgical instruments and other similar articles.

The invention relates more particularly to a novel construction of pocket or other case which has a supporting plate, the said supporting plate being provided with a suitable holding means or retaining bar, for retaining the cigarettes or other articles in place upon the said supporting plate; and, furthermore,

the invention relates to a novel construction of means for raising or elevating the said supporting plate above the sides of the case automatically, when the lid or cover of the case is opened.

The principal object of this invention therefore is to produce a pocket orother case for the purposes above enumerated which shall be neat in appearance, and shall be of a simple, strong and durable construction, providing a case for more readily presenting the articles therein, by quickly raising or elevating the supporting plate above the sidesof the case automatically when the same is opened, and thereby facilitating the removal of the cigarettes or other articles from the said supporting plate.

My present invention consists in the novel construction of pocket orother case embodying the principles hereinabove mentioned, and of the character to be more fully described inthe following specification.

This invention consists, furthermore, in the several novel arrangements and combinations of the various parts, as well as in the details of the construction of the same, all of which will be hereinafter more fully set forth and then finally embodied in the clauses of the claims which are appended to, and which form an essential part of this specification.

The invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Flgure 1 is a side or edge view of the pocket case embodying the principles of my present invention. Fig. 2 is a topor plan view of the same illustrated on a larger scale. The case in this view being open and the cover shown broken away near the hinge. Fig. 3 is a central vertical cross-section of the case, closed. Fig. 4 is a similar central vertical cross-section of the case, when open, the cover being shown broken away near the hinge.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the said above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to the said drawings, the reference-character 1 indicates the complete case which consists, essentially, of a body 2 and a lid or cover 3. The said body 2 and cover 3 are pivotally connected, so that they can be closed down upon each other, by any well known or ordinary form of spring hinge 4. The body section 2 is provided with a laterally and inwardly extending rim 5 extending around three sides of the said body 2 from the said hinge 4, and in like manner, the said hinge or cover 3 is also providedwith a similar laterally and inwardly extending rim 6, extending around three sides of the said cover3 from the said hinge 4. To retain the said. cover 3 in its closed relation with the said body 2, the said body 2 is providedwith a holding or locking means, which consists, essentially, of a lock-plate 7 provided upon its ,upper portion with a holding-catch 8 adapted to engage with the laterally and inwardly extending rim 6 upon the said cover 3 when the same is closed down upon the body 2. The said lock-plate 7 rides between a pair of guide-lugs or projections 9 upon the laterally and inwardly extending rim 5 of the said body 2, and the said lock-plate 7 is provided with a laterally extending finger-piece which projects through a hole or opening ,11 in the front side of the said body 2. To retain the said locking-plate 7 in its normal holding or locking relation with the said cover 3, there is provided a flat-spring 12 which extends across the rear of the lock.- plate 7, the ends of said flat-spring 12extending beneath the laterally and inwardly ,ex-

tending rim 5 of the said body 2, and being held in its normal operative relation by means of a pair of downwardly projecting lugs 13, upon" the said laterally and inwardly extending rim 5. Secured within the body 2 of said casing 1 is a supporting-plate 14, of any desirable ornamental configuration. This said supporting plate 14 is secured to the bottom of the body2 by means of a pair of link-plates orleaves 15', one end of the said link-plates or leaves 15 being provided with a' pair of lugs 16 adapted to -be pivotally secured by means of a pin or red 17 between a pair of lugs 18 extending fromathe bottom of the body f Placed between the pair of lugs 16, upon the one end of the link-plate or leaves 15 and around the connecting pin or rod 17, is a spiral spring 19 which is so arranged that its tendency is to swing the said link-plates or leaves 15 in an upward direction, as soon as the lid or cover 3 is released from the body of the case. The free ends 20 of the link-plates 15 are each provided with a slot 21 and the said free ends 20 are pivotally connected between pairs of lugs 22 extending from the under side of the said supporting plate 14, by

means of pins or rods 23 extending through the said lugs 22 and. the slots 21 in the said free ends 20 of the link-plates or leaves 1.5. As will be readily understood from an inspec: tion of the drawings, when the cover 3 of the case is closed the said. supporting-plate 14 is forced or held down in the position illustrated in Fig. 3; but, when the cover 3 is opened, the spiral springs 19 have a tendency to swing the link-plates or leaves :15 in an upward direction, carrying with them the sup" porting plate 14 pivotally secured on the freeends 20 thereof, the said upward motion being limited only by the length of-the slots 21, as will be clearly evident from an inspection of Fig. 4 of the drawings. 1

To retain the cigarettes or similar articles upon the supporting-plate 14, there is provided a retaining or holding bar 24 which extends longitudinally across the face of the said supporting-plate 14 and is pivotally secured thereto by means of a pair of downwardly extending lugs 25 pivotally secured between another pair of lugs 26 extending from the top of the said supporting-plate 14, by means of a pin or red 27. Arranged bctween the said downwardly extending lugs 25 and upon the pin or rod 27 is a spiralspring 28, the tendency of which is to normally hold the said retaining or holding bar in its lowered position extending across the face of the supporting-plate 14, substantially as shown.

From the above description it will be seen that a neat and simply constructed case provided with a supporting-plate adapted to be automatically raised or elevated above the sides of the case, when the same is opened,

has been provided, thus permitting the cigarette or similar articles, to be rzadil and easily removed from the case.

I claim 1. As a new article of manufacture, a case consisting of a body-section and a cover-section, hinged together by a spring-hinge, means for holding or looking said body-section and said cover-section together in their closed relation, and means to release the said cover section from the body section to open said case, a supporting plate adapted to receive cigarettes, or the like, means for retaining said cigarettes or the like upon the said supporting-plate, consisting of a retaining bar extending across the face of the said supporting plate, one end of said retaining bar being pivotally secured upon the upper sur face of the said supporting plate by means of a hinge connection, said hinge connection being provided with a spring adapted to retain the said retaining barin its operative relation with the said supporting plate, and means for raising or elevating the said supportingplate above the sides of the case, when open, consisting of a pair of link-plates or leaves pivotally secured at one end to the bottom of said body-section and being provided with springs adapted to swing the said link-plates or leaves in an upward direction, said linkplates or leaves being provided at their free ends with slotted portions through which they are pivotally connected by a pin or red to the bottom of the said supporting-plate, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. As a new article of iminufacture, a case, consisting of a body section and a cover-seetion pivotally connected by a spring-hinge, means for looking or holding the said body section and cover-section in their closed relation, a supporting plate adapted to receive cigarettes or the like, movably connected or secured to the bottom of the said body section by means of a pair of link-plates or leaves, and springs connected with said linkplates or leaves adapted to swing said linklates or leaves in an upward direction, thereby raising or elevating the said supporting plate when the case is opened, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a case consisting of a bodysection and a cover section pivotally connected by a spring-hinge, means for looking or holding the said body section and cover section in their closed relation, a supporting-plate adapted to rem-lye cigarettes or the like, movably connected or secured to the bottom of the said body-section by means of a pair of link plates or leaves, springs connected with said link-plates or leaves adapted to swing said link-plates or leaves in an upward direction, thereby raising or elevating the said supymrting-plate when the case is opened, and means connect:-

ed with said supporting plate, adapted to retain cigarettes or the like, substantially as and for the purposes set forth,

4. As a new article of manufacture, a case consisting of a body-section and a cover section pivotally connected by a spring-hinge, means for locking or holding the said body section and cover section in their closed relation, a supporting plate adapted to receive cigarettes or the like, movably connected or secured to the bottom of the said body-section by means of a pair of link-plates or leaves, springs connected with said link-plates or leaves adapted to swing said link-plates or leaves in an upward direction, thereby raising or elevating the said supportingplate when the case is opened, and means connected with said supporting plate, adapted to retain cigarettes or the like, consisting of a retaining bar extending across the face of the supporting-plate, said retaining-bar being pivotally connected at one end to the upper side of the supporting plate, and a spring connected with said retaining bar adapted to retain the said retaining bar in its operative relation with the said supporting-plate, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5, A cigarette or similar case comprising a body and cover movably connected therewith, hinge-connections within said body, a supporting plate, hinge connections upon the under side of said supporting-plate, linkplates having their lower end-portions pivotally connected with the hinge-connections within said body, each link'plate having a slotted end-portion connected with the hinge connection of said supporting-plate, and means connected with each link-plate for producing an upward movement of said plates and the supporting-plate when the coverof the case is raised, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. A cigarette or similar case comprising a body and cover movably connected therewith, hinge-connections within said body, a

supporting plate, hinge connections upon .the under side of said supporting plate, linkplates having their lower end-portions pivotally connected with the hinge-connections within said body, each link-plate having a slotted end-portion connectedwith the hingeconnection of said supporting plate, and

means connected with each link-plate for producing an upward movement of said plates and the supporting-plate when the cover of the case is raised, consisting of a coiled spring connected with each hinge-con nection with said body of the case, substan tially as and for the purposes set forth.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a case consisting of a body-section and a cover-section pivotally connected by a spring-hinge, said body-section and cover-section being respectively provided with laterally and inwardly projecting rims, means for holding or lockingsaid sections in their closed relation, consisting of a lock-plate provided upon its upper portion. with a holding catch adapted to engage with the laterally and inwardly extending rim of the cover-section, and means for operating said lock-plate to release its holding catch from engagement with said rim, consisting of a finger-piece extending laterally through an opening in the side of the body-section, and a spring extending across the rear of said lock-plate, and downwardly projecting holding lugs upon the inwardly extending rim of said body-section with which the end-portions of said spring are in engagement, said spring being adapted to retain said lock-plate normally in its holding or looking relation, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony, that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 4th day of April, 1906.

WILLIAM E. EDWARDS. 

